2 Samuel 4-7 Deep Diving Bible Study

Good Morning, Siblings!
Today’s Readings are 2 Samuel 4-7

To read these passages on BibleGateway, click here.

Rabbit Trails

Today we read in 2 Samuel 5:10

And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.

What do we consider power?
Certainly, with regards to David in the referenced verse, that entailed a lot but he was anointed to be king, and while we are children of the King, the truth is we are called to be servants.

~Preaching to the Choir here but…~
There is a disturbing trend that has been around since the beginning of time and, unfortunately, remains alive and well today – that being a victorious Believer means we will have material wealth. I’ve seen so many “name it and claim it” prayers, posts, sermons, books, and websites and it grieves me, deeply, to see people reduce YHWH to something akin to a lucky lottery ticket. It is irreverent to treat Him or think of Him in such a common manner.

This is on my mind because I unfollowed two pages this week which were spreading this kind of thought – that we can pray and be made wealthy in the world’s eyes or that being a Believer meant that YHWH was just waiting in the wings to give us money.
If you think about it, it’s often the times in which the world is a harder on us or a less prosperous place for us that we turn to him – and what a blessing whatever made us turn ends up being as a result!

But those who focus solely on things such as this do not know the enormity of YHWH and the eternity He offers us. And that grieves me, too. They are lost, plain and simple. Am I saying they are not saved? No, I am not. It is not my place nor within my ability to determine who is and is not saved. The privilege of granting salvation belongs solely to the Father.

However YHWH is not a lottery ticket.

Yes, YHWH can put us in a position to have nice things. But on a spiritual level, does a nice car equal power?
Compared to eternity, it is a cheap trinket, of no value at all.
YHWH functions on a whole other level that we cannot see and we have to be careful not to get so distracted by this world that we take our eyes off of kingdom matters.

What does YHWH’s power look like in our lives?

If I had to describe it I’d say it was that which made us look like our Messiah, with an orchard full of fruits of the spirit to show for it.

Moving on:

2 Samuel 4:10 gives us even more insight into how David felt about the Amalekite he killed in yesterday’s readings.

2 Samuel 5:6 begins the talk of the lame and the blind. At first reading, this may not make a lot of sense. Well no worries because it feels the same way on the second and third reading, too! Truth is, scholars have been all over the place on the meaning of this for quite some time. I’m going to share with you the three dominant theories, but there are more theories where these came from so hop on down that trail if you like.

Theory #1 Is that Jerusalem is so fortified and the inhabitants so confident that David and his men cannot penetrate it that they say all they need to defend is are the blind and the lame. One tale even goes so far as to suggest that they brought their blind and their lame to the walkways at the top of their city walls and it was they who shouted down the insults to David and his men.

Theory #2 says that the inhabitants of the city were trusting in their gods to protect them and being sarcastic- as the Israelites had referred to their gods as blind and lame.

Theory #3 is another one that seems a little far fetched with our current translations. However, if we go back to the original Hebrew, take heed of prophesy, realize that David is the foreshadowing (and ancestor) of Messiah, and look at Scripture, it can hold some water. This theory states that the the inhabitants were shouting that David was not to come into Israel unless he is the one who can heal the blind and the lame. In this context, David’s reply was meant to say that he hated the affliction of blindness and lameness that had came upon these people. Check out Matthew 11:4-6, and Matthew 15:31 to see Messiah’s fruition of this event, should this theory be true.

In 2 Samuel 6:21
David is chastised by Saul’s daughter, his wife. David danced before YHWH. This appears to be genuine, unfettered, sincere worship coming from the depths of his very soul. These moments where we are so overwhelmed by the thought of the majesty of the Father that we just can’t contain ourselves – they are beautiful reminders that the creator of the universe is also the creator of joy! 
David was chastised, though, and seen as undignified. I love his answer:

“I will celebrate before the Lord and will become even more undignified than this – and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” 2 Samuel 6:22

Nothing matters but what our Father thinks. Nothing is useful if it does not please him. Let the world think we are crazy – we are called to be a peculiar people anyway!

Here is a song for ya:

I also want to leave you with this beautiful and wise insight from fellow front porch sister, Aletha Karen Bass:

“When we look at the bible as history, we are doing our Father & ourselves a big disservice. I’ve often said it’s our driver’s instruction manual! It tells us how our lives are to be lived successfully. If we look at it as a history book, we don’t apply it to our lives. I studied the civil war in American history. I don’t apply what I studied to my daily life. I read scripture, like what happened between Saul’s men & David’s men at the spring & see life as it is now, how we can apply the lessons. That’s why the bible is unique. I don’t believe that there is anything included between the pages that doesn’t apply to us today just as much as when it was first written.” AMEN!

As I type these notes up I’m preparing for that special time when we remind ourselves, the Father, and the world who we really belong to, I want to leave you with this:
If you are not reading the comments section each day you are missing out! The Holy Spirit is moving in this group and so many are earnestly searching His word and being blessed with wonderful insight, which they are then sharing with all of us! Somedays my notes are more fleshed out than others, but I am forever impressed with the comments from y’all on each day’s readings.

And special thank you to everyone who just takes time to say “Good morning” each day. Just checking in for a quick greeting helps us get to know your name and remember you as part of our wonderful little community here. Don’t ever feel as if you have to leave a lengthy comment, a simple good morning from you is always a blessing.

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